Food management system and food management method

Abstract

A food product management system comprises a database configured to store data describing a plurality of relationships, each of the plurality of relationships defining a relationship between a producer, a food product, and a combination of stable isotopes, the food products being associated with the combinations of the stable isotopes that are different from producer to producer; a terminal device configured to receive results of an analysis of the combination of stable isotopes contained in one of the food products; and a management computer operatively connected to the database and the terminal device, and configured to receive the results of the analysis from the terminal device and to identify the producer of the one of the food products with reference to the database based on the results of the analysis.

1 - 25 . (canceled) 
     
     
         26 . A food product management method comprising:
 obtaining a food product labeled with a combination of stable isotopes, wherein the combination of stable isotopes is selected to be distinct from a combination of stable isotopes that would be naturally contained in the food products;   determining the combination of stable isotopes in the food product;   comparing the combination of stable isotopes against data contained in a database, where the data describes relationships between locations, producers, combinations of stable isotopes, and food products; and   identifying the location and producer of the food product.   
     
     
         27 . The food product management method according to  claim 26 , wherein a stable isotope contained in the combination of stable isotopes is selected from the group consisting of  13 C,  15 N,  17 O,  18 O,  2 H,  42 Ca,  43 Ca,  44 Ca, and  46 Ca. 
     
     
         28 . The food product management method according to  claim 26 , wherein the food products are or are prepared from animals, fish, or plants. 
     
     
         29 . A food product management method comprising:
 obtaining a contaminated food product labeled with a combination of stable isotopes, wherein the combination of stable isotopes is selected to be distinct from a combination of stable isotopes that would be naturally contained in the food product;   determining the combination of stable isotopes in the contaminated food product;   comparing the combination of stable isotopes against data contained in a database, wherein the data describes one or more relationships between at least producers, combinations of stable isotopes and food products;   identifying the location and producer of the contaminated food product; and   contacting the producer of the contaminated food product.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein contacting the producer of the contaminated food product comprises contacting the producer to determine how contamination of the food product occurred. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein contacting the producer of the contaminated food product comprises contacting the producer to halt production of the contaminated food product by the producer. 
     
     
         32 . A food product management method comprising:
 obtaining a food product labeled with a combination of one or more stable isotopes, wherein the combination of stable isotopes is selected to be distinct from a combination of stable isotopes that would be naturally contained in the food product;   determining the combination of stable isotopes in the food product;   determining a time when the food product last received the combination of stable isotopes;   comparing the combination of stable isotopes against data contained in a database, wherein the data describes one or more relationships between at least producers, combinations of stable isotopes and food products; and   identifying the location and producer of the contaminated food product based on the data contained in the database, the time when the food product last received the combination of stable isotopes, and a half-life for each of the one or more stable isotopes.   
     
     
         33 . The food product management method according to  claim 32 , wherein a stable isotope contained in the combination of stable isotopes is selected from the group consisting of  13 C,  15 N,  17 O,  18 O,  2 H,  42 Ca,  43 Ca,  44 Ca, and  46 Ca. 
     
     
         34 . The food product management method according to  claim 32 , wherein the food products are or are prepared from animals, fish, or plants. 
     
     
         35 . A food product management method comprising:
 labeling a food product at a location of a producer with a combination of stable isotopes that would not naturally occur in the food product and uniquely identifies the food product based on the producer, a type of food product and the location; and   adding data to a database, wherein the data describes the relationship between the location, the producer, combination of stable isotopes and the food product.   
     
     
         36 . The food product management method according to  claim 35 , wherein labeling the food product further uniquely identifies the time at which the food product was produced, and wherein adding data to the database further comprises adding data that describes the time at which the food product was produced. 
     
     
         37 . The food product management method according to  claim 36 , further comprising:
 comparing the combination of stable isotopes against the data; and   identifying the location and producer of the food product based on the data, the time at which the food product was produced, and a half-life for each of the one or more stable isotopes.   
     
     
         38 . The food product management method according to  claim 35 , wherein a stable isotope contained in the combination of stable isotopes is selected from the group consisting of  13 C,  15 N,  17 O,  18 O,  2 H,  42 Ca,  43 Ca,  44 Ca, and  46 Ca. 
     
     
         39 . The food product management method according to  claim 35 , wherein the food products are or are prepared from animals, fish, or plants.